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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (April 10, 1945)
Yanks Take Hannover, Sweep on at Mile-an-Hour Clip Medford U iitd Pretty Fortieth Year BOTH SHORES OF OKINAWA ISLAND New American Landing Re ported; Greatest Artillery Duel On West Section. . By United Presi Action flared along both coasts of southern Okinawa to day with a new American land ing reported off the east side and the greatest artillery duel of the Pacific war thundering on the west. Tokyo 'said American troops had landed on tiny Tsukata Is land lying eight miles off the southeast coast and controlling the entrance to the newly-conquered Nakagusuku Bay naval anchorage. Advance Mil Other troops driving along the bay shore on Okinawa advanced more than a mile and a half to Naha on the edge of the Yona baru airfield and only a mile and a half north of the Port of Tona baru, an enemy broadcast said. American destroyers and other warcraft already were reported to have entered Nakagusuku Bay. Tokyo claimed that during the landing operation on Tsukata Sunday afternoon, Japanese forces, presumably artillery, sank an American destroyer and a small craft which entered the bay. , There was no American con firmation of the east coast opera tions. On the west coast, American troops battled from cave to cave and from pillbox to pillbox against savage resistance. Advances were limited to yards as they fought to enlarge their wedge in the Japanese main defense line four miles north of Naha, the burning capi tal. Gaeatest Barrage Japanese guns laid down a heavy barrage. Brig. Gen. O. P. Smith, deputy chief of staff for the 10th army, said the Amer icans were being supported by more battalions of artillerj than ever used before In the Pacific. Hundreds of American carrier planes and big guns of the fleet off Okinawa Joined In hammer ing the Japanese positions. Naha gradually was being flattened by the bombardment. Seven of 10 Japanese planes which attacked the Okinawa area last evening were de stroyed. American troops in the Philip pines steadily comprised three large Japanese pockets on Luzon while airmen bagged 12 more Japanese ships in their blockade of the China Sea. Intercept Convoy Liberators intercepted a 15 ship convoy leaving the Chinese port of Swatow, sank one de stroyer and an 8.000-ton trans port and damaged another de stroyer and a cargo vessel. Fifth army bombers accounted for eight merchant craft In raids from the Dutch East Indies to Honk Kong and Formosa. Two U. S. divisions were re ported closing in on Bagulo In northern Luzon. In central Lu zon the Sixth Division was ad vancing slowly against stiff re sistance. First Cavalry Division troops were reported nearing a Junc tion with airborne troops to complete encirclement of Japan ese by-passed south, of Laguna Bay. The 158th Regimental combat team was reported still encoun tering heavy resistance at a point five miles north of Legaspi. NAVY DESERTER JAILED ON BAD CHECK CHARGE Wyatt Drennan, Jr., 23-year old navy deserter and eicapee from a navy quarters In Sar Diego, was arrested in a local hotel last night by state police on a charge of passing sourlouf checks and lodged -In the county Jail. He is wanted In several cities on the same charge, police said. HITLER AIDE KILLED London. Aoril 10 flJ R) A German DNB dispatch said to day that Col. Henrich Borgmann. former aide de camp to Adolf Hitler, had been killed on the western front. Borgmann - was standing beside Hitler when a bomb exploded in the Fuehrer's headquarters in the abortive at tempt on his life last summer. Full Ltastd Wir New Jap Premier - 9 " ' 'l.t..Vl ' (Acme Tetephoto) Admiral Baron Kantaro Suzuki. 77. president of the Japanese Privy Council, was ordered by Emperor Hirohlto to form a new Japanese cabinet to succeed cabinet of Premier General Kuniald Kolso which re signed en bloc "because of the grav ity of the situation-" L 11 A: M: THURSDAY FOR ELINOR BUSH Funeral services for Elinor Hanley Bush, pioneer resident of Jackson county who passed away at her home, 826 East Main street Monday morning, will be held at the Perl funeral home Thursday at 11 a. m. The Rev Harry Hansen of the First Pres byterian church will officiate at the ceremonies and cremation will take' place at the Portland crematorium. Mrs. Bush was born on the Hanley ranch near Jacksonville Dec. 17, 1867, and lived in this county most of her life, spend ing 16 years In South America between 1903 and 1919. She at tended school in Jacksonville and was married to Harry P Bush at Punta Arenes, Chile, In 1903. Mr. Bush was a mining engineer. The deceased Interested her self in community affairs and was a member of Adarel chap ter, O.E.S., of Jacksonville. She is survived by four nieces and three nephews, Alex, Mar tha, Mary, Claire, Michael and Edward B. Hanley and Katheryn E. Heffernan. ASHLAND COUNCIL TO GROUP PETTY CASES Ashland, April 10 The city council will meet tonight to dis cuss plans to group more than 75 types of petty offense and health and safety into one ordi nance. The proposed ordinance would impose penalties from $1 to $200 in fines and not less than one day or more than 30 days In Jail for violation of the many petty offenses. j H April Snow in Foothills Is Unusual, Claim Old Timers Long time residents of the valley are unable to recall an April like the present one, with fresh snow glistening on the foothills on the tenth of the month. Few ever saw snow on Roxy Ann at that late date though William Bates remembers a Fourth of July more than forty years ago when it snowed on the parade and melted as it fell. Ludb Grieve, Copco superin tendent at Prospect, reported an Inch of snow at his place Sunday and Monday morning which melted by noon each day. He re ports never having seen- such an April in the hills. The county agent reports the pear crop is ten das behind and crops and other vegetation being retarded, but not hurt. Some farmers recall the old adage "a cold . April makes full barn." Irrigationists report the new snow in the hills will Increase the spring run-off and be of some benefit. Frost Observer Roy J. Rogers reports the fruit crop needs some warm nights as well as days. " Searching the w -ather bureau records this morning, Robert Church reports that snow In MEDFORD, OREGON, TUESDAY, TRUMAN DEFEATS POSTWAR END OF Vote Breaks Senate Tie on Amendment to Prevent Relief for Foreign Lands. Washington, April 10 (U.R) The senate today passed and sent to the White House an act to 'extend lend-lease until June 30. 1946. The action came by unani mous voice vole after the sen ate beat down two attempts to amend the act. Washington, April 10 flJ.R) The vote of Vice-President Harry S. Truman today defeated a pro posed amendment to the lend lease extension act which would have prevented the use of lend lease for postwar relief and re habilitation of foreign countries. The vote was 39 to 39. Tru man's "no" vote broke the tie. The amendment was proposed by Sen. Robert A. Taft (R., O.). It would have strengthened a house amendment which would prevent the use of lend-lease for rehabilitation but would author ize settlement of contracts which might extend Into the postwar period. The tie vote came after Sen. Walter F. George (D., Ga.), charged that the Taft amend ment would strip the lend-lease act of its original contract settle ment provisions. Truman voted Immediately after the rollcall was completed. "On this motion," he said, "the vote Is 39 to 39. The chair vote no." Sen. Millard E. Tydlngs CD., Md.), had called for an end to "the blank check era'' as soon as the war is over. ITALY DEFENSE Rome, April 10 (U.R) A new British 8th army offensive crum pled the Adriatic wing of the German defenses is Italy, car ried over the Senio river on a broad front, and today spilled out over the eastern Po plain between Bologna and Ravenna. Gen. Mark W. Clark, com mander of allied forces In Italy, announced that the 8th army attacked yesterday evening tit er a pulverizing air assault in the Senio sector by almost all of the air forces i nthis theater. The first onrush of Lt. Gen. Sir Richard McCreery's forces broke the Senio river line. His assault forces swept across the stream on a broad front around Lugo, 27 miles east of Bolona and 18 miles west of Ravenna. The famous Egyptian crocodile Is now found only in the ex treme northern reaches of the Nile Valley. April, and even In May and June, have been recorded in past years. In 1912 two Inches of snow fell on April 11, this being the heaviest .snowfall ever re corded for April. In 1929 snow was recorded on five consecutive days, .8 inches fell or April 3, .2 inches on April 6, .8 on April 7 a trace on April 8 and .4 inches on April 9, this being the second heaviest April snowfall of rec ord. Third heaviest was half an inch on April 17, 1933 and latent snowfall for April was In 1913 when it snowed on the 29th. The records further show that It snowed in April last year, this occurring on April 11 and April 20. Latest snowfall ever record ed for spring was June 4 In 1914 and snow Is also recorded for May in 1938. Mr. Church point ed out that these observations are taken at one point and that conditions could vary In other parts of the valley or district. The cold predicted for the west coast states last night failed to develop In Medford when a cloud covering brought by a storm area off the coast devel oped about 2 a. m. continuing until past the danger point at sun-up, Church said. APRIL 10, 1945 Jet Planes Suffer Record Mauling in , Defense of Berlir London, April 10. (U.R) American airmen reporte that they shot down 18 G man planes and destrr 227 aground today in a rai. by 2,150 U. S. bombers and fighters on seven air fields In the outlying regions around Berlin. The Germans sent a rec ord force of Jet planes against the 8;h air force raiders and paid a record price. The bag aloft and aground was the greatest ever scored by Lt, Gen. James H. Doolittle's men in one day. Violent air battles raged over the general area of Berlin as formations of up to SO Jotters attacked the heavies which were plaster ing their home fields. FIVE CHILDREN DIE IN TRAILER HOUSE GASOLINE BLAZE Portland, Ore., April 10 (U.R) Five children are dead today as result of fire caused by ex plosion of a gasoline can in a trailer house. Three were burned to death while a frantic father mistakenly believing his son was In the inferno tore the dwelling apart in attempts to reach the youngsters. Two more died in hospitals this morning. The dead are: Donald Cumps ton, 3, ' Lois Cumpston, 5, and Barbara Cumpston, b all chil dren of Bert Cumpston, widower, in whose home the fire occurred; Victor Jaeger.- 4, and Shirley Jaeger, 8, children of Mr. and Mrs. Victor L. Jaeger, trailer camp residents. Tots Build Fire , According to officers, Cumps ton went to work, leaving the children in the charge of his eld est daughter, Mary Lou, 14. With Mrs. Jaeger, she went about 100 yards from the house to do some washing. In her absence, Charles Cumpston, 7, and Eugene Cumps ton, 10, decided to build a fire in a small "pot-bellied" stove. Eugene poured gasoline from a can over the wood in the stove, and while still holding the can, struck a match and dropped it into the stove. There was a vio lent explosion, and the two boys ran out screaming. Their c r I e s were heard by John Lynn, 31, who told police he believed his boy was among those inside wailing pitifully. With the doorway in solid flame, Lynn tore out a section of the house, but was unable to reach the children in time. He was later treated for burns to both hands. He had lifted the two little girls out of the holocaust first. BIBLE TEACHER IS NTERVIEWED FOR CITY SCHOOL POST Miss Katherine Green of Pa cific College, Seattle, appeared before the regular monthly meet ing of the Medford Ministerial association as a prospective rep resentative to teach Bible his tory in the Medford public schools, according to Rev. Fred M. Weathcrford, president of the association. E. H. Hedrlck. city superintendent of schools, was present to advise the asso ciation and to interview Miss Green. The association again endor sed the dally vacation Bible schools and set June 4 to June 14 as the period for classes which will be conducted by various churches of the city. Rev. Wea therford said the association hoped that other organizations sponsoring youth programs would arrange their plans In order not to Interfere with the Bible school period. The pre-Easter series sponsor ed by the association was de clared to be one of the most suc cessful projects ever carried through by the group, Rev. Wea therford said. Tribune United Piau r f EST CROP o .0-' WINTER WHEAT Agricultural Department Re ports Production Will Be 862,515,000 Bushels. Washington, April 10 (U,R) The Agriculture Department today forecast the biggest winter wheat crop in history for 1945. The Crop Reporting Service said production of winter wheat would reach 862,515,000 bushels, 37.000,000 more than the pre vious record crop of 1931 and almost 100,000.000 bushels more than 1944 production. On Dec. 1 the winter wheat crop was estimated at 761,591,- 000 bushels. Highest for that date since 1919 and the condition of rye is the highest since 1914. No production estimate was given for rye. ' The wheat crop apparently es caped injury in the recent cold wave which brought zero tem peratures to many parts of the northern plain, the board said. A 1945 wheat crop of 862,515 000 bushels would be 37,000,000 bushels larger than the previous record crop in 1931. The forecast for wheat produc tion by states: Kansas 231,557,000 bushels; Oklahoma 75,127,000; Texas 73, 420,000; Washington 45,292,300; Ohio 54,816,000; Indiana 33,300, 000; Pennsylvania 21,850,000; Illinols-26,028,000; Michigan 22, 517,000; ' Missouri 26,100,000; Montana 28.899,000; Colorado 21,672,000; Oregon 17,031,000, and Nebraska 70,818,000. F NAZI WAR PLANT CLIFF By Clinton B. Conger United Press Correspondent With U. S. 84th Division, Ger many, April 10 (U.R) The Weser river slices through sharp cliffs of the tortuous Westphall an gate at the village of Ler beck, a few miles south of Min den, in some of the most attrac tive terrain the 9th army has seen. Except for a small railroad yard in Lerbeck Itself, there is nothing an aerial reconnolssance target maps to mystify a second look. Yet, when Infantrymen cross ed the river and cleaned out re sistance on the heights they found a huge German war plant factory cut into the solid rock. The plant, burrowed at least 300 feet Into the cliff, was Jammed with huge, Intricate ma chines. I saw row upon row of gleaming lathes. Mostly the machines were German made but several show ed that the nazis supplemented their machine shops with loot from occupied countries. Key workers were Germans but several hundred Poles and Ukrainians were herded into the shops daily. Only a few were above ground and they were camou flaged. Sweeney Heads Ralph Sweeney, Jackson county treasurer and Medford resident, was elected and in stalled grand commander of the Oregon Knights Templar at a streamlined conclave held yes terday In Portland. He succeeds J. Roy Roberts of Bend. Only business sessions were conduct ed, with no social events due to the war. Other officer! Installed were Luke K. Knowlton, Portland, deputy grand commander; J. Donald Meyers, La Grand, grand generalissimo; Edward M. Keikkala, Astoria, grand cap tain general; John A. Newbold, Portland, grand senior warden; Eugene H. Tardy, Grants Pass, grand Junior warden; Albert H. Trego, Portland, grand treasur er; Richard H. Tusant, Portland, grand recorder; Lyman C. Palm er, Eugene, grand standard bear er; R. H. C. Bennett, Portland, grand sword btarer, Herbert C. Staple, Bend, grand warder; Full Leased Wire NO. 16 General Killed v;o ftps (Acme Telephotot MaJ. Gen. Maurice Rose, Denver, Colo., commander of Third Armored Division, shot to death by Nazi tank men while taking off his pistol to hand over to his German captors. Del Norte, Colo., April 10 (U.R) Spinster Adele Sophie Weiler, 42, short and plump, was held in technical custody today while unromantlc officers Investigated her admitted ro mance with a German prisonei of war. Miss Weiler had. been re leased from the Rio Grande county Jail but still was under technical custody. For at least three months, the authorities said, Miss Weiler and her 37-year-old German lov er "had kept their tryst a secret until last Friday night, when officers surrounded her home and found the war prisoner there. She Tells Story Deputy Sheriff Harry Wells, who headed the investigation until army officers and FBI agents took over, said that Miss Weiler "told the whole story" of her affair with the war pris oner. She was employed at the local cheese factory as a book keeper, and it was there that the romance developed, the deputy sheriff said. The war prisoner, because of a shortage of help In the area, was assigned to the cheese fac tory. Miss Weiler, who speaks German, told the deputy that she "took a liking" to the oris oner, and last January arranged to drive 14 miles into Monte Vista, where the war prisoners are quartered nightly. She met him near the prisoners quartet and they drove back to Del Norte. From that time until last Fri day night, according to Wells, Miss Weiler and the German held their trysts at least weekly, and on some occasions "several times weekly." Always, Miss Weiler succeeded in returning the prisoner to his quarters be fore daybreak. Indiana lost 74 men In the Spanish-American war. Oregon Templars f Rtlph Sweeney Homer Beale, Pendleton, grand captain of the guard, and Dr. Sherman L. Divine, Portland, former Medford resident, grand prelate. v 11 1 ' V f j i Brunswick Next Goal Of 9th Army Force in Drive Toward Berlin With U. S. Third Army, Germany, April 10. (U.R) Qaa. Omar N. Bradley's 12th army group has captured 1,018.387 Prisoners since D-day, it was announced tonight. The 1st and 3rd armies each took more than 400,000 prisoners. Paris, April 10 (U.R) American troops captured Hannover today in an armored sweep that caved in Germany's northern and central defenses and rolled forward at a mlle-an-hour clip 115 an4 120 miles from the Nazi capital. Two Doughboy regiments of the U. S. Ninth Army's 84ta) Division stormed into Hannover from the northwest and southwest early this morning. By mid-day they had reached the center of th flaming stronghold that once was the 12th city of Germany. ISOLATED POCKETS STILL HOLD OUT A few Isolated pockets of German resistance stiU held out lata this afternoon, but American riflemen were combing them out one by one. Crowds of curious German civilians thronged Into the streets, ignoring the bullets, to watch the death struggle of the Nazi garri son. Other Ninth Army Forces stabbed 23 miles beyond the city toward Brunswick, 104 miles west of Berlin, and at last report were only 16 miles from that town. Far to the south, American First Army tanks broke Into the Harz mountains covering the southwestern approaches to Berlin after a 26-mile advance that met only scattered and disorganized resistance. Both attacks were rolling swiftly forward behind a blazing Allied aerial bombardment that reached back almost to the gatea of Berlin. In an explosive burst of power that threatened momentarily to cave in the Germans' entire northern flank, the Americans broke loose on the main Hannover-Brunswick-Berlin superhighway lesa than 16 miles from Brunswick and 55 miles from the Elbe river line that forms the enemy's last big defensive barrier, in the west. DOUGHBOYS STORM THROUGH HANNOVER Doughboys of the 84th Infantry Division swarmed through the streets of Hannover, Germany's 12th city, after a sudden break through from the north. Smutaneously, the Ninth Army's Fifth Armored Division stabbed 23 miles northeastward to cut the superhighway at a point mid-way between Hannover and Brunswick. British Armored Forces to the north laid siege to Bremen and wheeled northeastward within 60 miles or less of Hamburg, Ger many's second city and greatest port. A third British column cut the Hamburg-Hannover autobahn and raced eastward for Brunt wick and Berlin on the Ninth Army's 'northern flank. The strike across northern Germany shot the Ninth Army out in front of the race for Berlin, only a few hours after Lt. Gen. Court ney H. Hodges' American First Army had taken the lead with new advance Into the fringe of the Harz mountains In central Germany. Hodges' men broke loose on an 18-mlle sweep beyond their Weser river bridgeheads yesterday and followed through early to day with an armored and infantry drive on Nordhausen, 115 mile southwest of Berlin. The Americans knocked a 30-mlle-wlde hole In the German defenses and late field dispatches said they were closing fast on Nordhausen against weak opposition. PATTON'S ARMY ALSO ON MARCH Lt. Gen. Gctorge S. Patton's American Third Army also was on the move farther south. The Third's drive, a Berlin spokesman said, was fanning out east toward the Czechoslovakia frontier and south Into Bavaria toward Nuernberg, ..- Powerful armored and Infantry forces of the American First and Ninth armies also were teamed up In converging attacks on ah estimated 100,000 or more Germans trapped In the Ruhr pocket The Enemy Commander, Field Marshal Walther von Model, was believed also to be in the trap. The whole Ruhr was ablaze from Allied bombs and shellflre, and field dispatches said the Americans advanced. t much at tlx miles into the pocket today against weakening opposition. " IBlMtli i , WNOVf OSNAIRUICKB CAN ttT t ,77 1 tan "V fin, .... lEitcn C' GMtlinatn. . . nith. AINHFm1' rv .. . wvrUH.aM ...... uik J I "aV Saxony -j T V' FRANK? UtT . A -Sr tOHtMIA : V6 v- ttLiM 1 W.I.,,V 1 : ,. . : "AC Z( ""'Jk.C.amS.m, i TV FRANCE ' . f , : , JTVvtlNZ , B .f"''7 e"' Pmumicm f J ' SWITZERIAND !: ..V 7 ' " (Acme TtUphatot Airborne troops (large srrowl landed In Muelhsusen area, according to German report, to assist American drive streaming toward Berlin. Other Allied spearheads pushed closer to the Nazi capital, while In the north troops battled Into Bremen and Hannover. Par to south, the 0. 8. Sev enth and French First made headway toward Bavaria, where Hitler It expected to mate hit last stand. 1ST OF VIENNA London, April 10 (U.R) The red army announced tonight that it had captured all of Vienna lying west of the Danube canal, leaving only a thin slice of the northwestern part of the Aus trian capital In nazl hands. Stockholm reports said all or ganized resistance In Vienna had ceased. It was plain that the Soviets had the second largest city of Adolf Hitler's "greater Germany" within their grasp. A Moscow communique re porting the virtual conclusion of the battle for Vienna said that the Germans lost 134,000 men killed or captured at Koenlgs berg, capital of east Prussia, which fell yesterday. toHlN " MECKLENBURG Vfc HOMO- ' ftERUNU n.j,.a... , -rr. i . a . tw 1 l .QT(BBia s GEORGE KRAMER DIES IN ASHLAND HOSPITAL Ashland, April Id George N. Kramer, 322 Hargadine street, passed away at the Com munity hospital yesterday. He haci been a resident oi the city for 40 years. His railroad career as an agent and telegrapher be gan In 1808. He retired in 1933 and In point of service was one of the oldest operators on the Southern Pacific system. He was a member of the Elks lodge and Masonic order. He It survived by hit wife, a ton Foss, a brother, James of Hollywood and a lister, Emma of Monmouth, Ore, Two grand sons also survive. Washington, April 10 (U.fi) There has been no decision yet on what to do with the art treas ure! and gold found liy the U. S. armies In a German salt mine, II wat learned today. A
